Most of us mean well and are sincere in our beliefs and in our search for the truth. We don’t want to deceive others nor do we want to be deceived ourselves. We want to be true to what we believe in based on what God has revealed to be the truth found in the Bible. But without realizing it, we sometimes embrace error and spread it to others. And sometimes, our false belief is based on a proof text.
Proof Text Explained
So what is a proof text anyway? May I quote from Wikipedia:
“Prooftexting (sometimes ‘proof-texting’ or ‘proof texting’) is the practice of using isolated, out-of-context quotations from a document to establish a proposition in eisegesis. Such quotes may not accurately reflect the original intent of the author,[1] and a document quoted in such a manner, when read as a whole, may not support the proposition for which it was cited.[2][3][4][5] The term has currency primarily in theological and exegetical circles.”
Examples of Proof Texts
One good example of proof texting is that of people quoting John 6:44 to explain that only a few will be saved and that God is setting limits to salvation. This verse is quoted to support a view that God has already decided who will be saved and it’s not everybody. For an explanation on this topic, please visit this link.
Another example is that of 1 Corinthians 15:22 which is quoted by some people to support their belief that in the end time, all will be saved. Taken out of context, it would really seem like what they’re saying is true. But here’s an explanation I wrote at this link.
One more example of a proof text is on a passage which says that when the Lord Jesus Christ returns, “every knee will bow down” to him. This is interpreted to mean that all will be saved because all knees without exception will bow down to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Here’s an explanation I wrote on this one at this link.
Reading in Context
Learning to read the Bible in context is something we must not forget when reading the Bible. Whenever we disregard the context of Scripture, chances are, we would most likely end up misunderstanding and misinterpreting the Bible leading us to believe and teach what the Bible does not support after all. And that is what proof texting is all about.